Saigon - Vietnamese adventures

Vietnam's one of my fav countries in the world

with its interesting culture and amazing history.

It's a pity we didnt get to see other cities besides Saigon

bt the food n history was enough to lure me back for more!

Boating along the Mekong River.

A true experience just getting to know their vietnamese way of life

along the river, how fishermen make a living

the housing along the delta.

The singer performed some traditional songs

n had us swaying to the melody

Night food market

the excellent mussels

fried with garlic n absolutely tasty

best hotpot i had in life

Cu chi tunnels.

we took a US$5 daytrip (unbelievably cheap) to the rural areas

to witness some of the historical sites

that were sobering stories of the painful past.

getting into the narrow tunnel

where refugees hid for days

i cld barely enter..

so claustrophobic n dark

story of Ho Chi Minh

the streets of Saigon

filled with scooters 

we enjoyed every single meal in Saigon

this last meal took us forever to find

bt it was so worth it.

Pho with springrolls and many crispy ingredients

that made a simple dish taste so good.

Asian Geographic

Discovered this travel magazine recently,
and have been blown away by the amazing pictures and incredible travel tales that come with it.. not many travel magazines intrigue me with such allure..
They introduce unique, off the beaten track destinations such as Pakistan,
and I wanna take part in their Silk Road Expedition so badly!

http://www.asiangeopassport.com/

The inaugural “Source of Silk” trip, happening from 9–19 April 2009, will commence at the beginning of the Silk Road, starting from the breathtaking Taklamakan Desert near Kashgar, to the home of the terracotta warriors in Xi’an, through the amazing landscapes of Kyrgystan and Uzbekistan, traversing adventurous paths in Iran, all the way to the west of Lebanon.
Experience the unique sights and sounds along this historical and monumental route in this ten-day once-in-a-lifetime expedition.

Anyone in for the ride??

Escape into my own kinda world

Sometimes I wish I could run away from everything, everyone..
into my own fantasy world of liberty..
into the kinda world where I belong..
where hopes are dreams are the most important..
where money or career never stands in the way..

Perhaps that's why I love travelling,
for in that particular moment,
you're just in your dreams,
discovering new things, new life
and living in the realm of delusion.
Just you and the Earth.

Beijing musings

China was a whole new world..
a mixture between ecclectic modernization and in-your-face sorta tradtions.
Besides the incessant spittings from the Chinese pple,
and the weird tongue-rolling Beijing accent,
we were constantly thrilled and amused
by these true to their hearts Chinese.

First thing first, FOOD!
Pekin duck and spicy chicken!

the signboard reads DOG FOOD for sale.
i didnt try that!

the street where our backpacker hostel was located,
is part of their traditional neighbourhood hutong,
i loved that quaint traditional feeling.

in the Forbidden City

No offense to his modesty,
check out this lil kid's pants!
specifically the groin area..
bamm! our fren told us they do tt to all kids
make it easy for them to shit anywhere!

the colours

jumpin to the joy of being in ancient world
of the Forbidden City

THE GREAT WALL

one of the best parts of our trip,
climbing the majestic Great Wall.

acrobatic show

we were in the mood to be pampered,
tried out Imperial Cuisine at an Imperial Restaurant.
it was truely imperialistic prices (thanks to Heiko)
we were lucky to not have been washing their plates...

Tiananmen Square

One of the best pictures taken
it shows the tranquility of this ancient city...

The Meskel festival in Ethiopia

Meskel (the finding of the true cross) falls on 28th September each year and has been celebrated in Ethiopia for over 1,600 years. The word Meskel means “Cross” and the feast commemorates the discovery of the cross (upon which Jesus was crucified).

The festival coincides with the mass blooming of the golden yellow ‘Meskel daisies’, a flower called ‘Adey-Abeba’ in the Amharic language. According to which, the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa was named after.

A large bonfire is lit in Meskel Square and this is repeated all over the country in churches and small neighborhood groups. Bonfires are built topped by a cross to which flowers most commonly the Meskel daisy are tied. Priests don their full regalia and people of all ages are seen in the streets carrying fresh bunches of yellow flowers.

After the bonfires are blessed, they are lit and the dancing and singing begins around them. The feasting and the celebrations continue the night and well into the next day.

It was a waste we couldn't visit Ethiopia on our way back from Tanzania, we had to cancel our trip to Addis Ababa, due to my visa problems. Ethiopia is somewhere I've always wanted to see.. Many pple conjure images of malnutritioned africans streaked with poverty, when they hear of Ethopia. But it's changed, they've come a long way.. They've so much history, and culture.. such as the tribes that live in the Omo River region who have such interesting traditions and habits..

An Omo tribal girl